CAMP+U
Ensure Belonging, Fulfill Potential
Supporting students’ inclusion for a successful postsecondary experience while fostering a sense of belonging that meets their diverse needs.
About CAMP+U
In this course, you will complete five modules designed to support students’ inclusion for successful postsecondary experiences while fostering a sense of belonging that meets their diverse needs. This is a self-paced, asynchronous course set around the theme of exploration and skill development that can often be associated with the camp experience.
You will be presented with five key areas of exploration in your higher education setting: Connection with and among learners, designing instruction and assessments to facilitate learner agency, considerations in striving for mastery learning, and ensuring purposeful learning. You will begin the course with a foundational module “+U” to provide context on the discussion of who your learners are, who you are as an instructor and where we are situated in the setting of where the dynamic learning is taking place. Each module contains an overview, learning objectives and guiding questions. Then you will embark on “trails” where you will listen to tips from featured faculty, explore resources and relevant content, and complete assessments to practice practical application.
Throughout your journey you will be asked to consider the ways in which you will ensure your higher education setting has been intentionally designed to foster a sense of student belonging and where potential barriers to learning have been considered and addressed through thoughtful design and attention to accessibility. You will be asked to deeply reflect on the ways in which you will implement the new knowledge and skills moving forward and build out your resources to do so. Let’s get started!
Module 1: "U"
University
A university is a place of knowledge-building and discovery, fostered by a unique sense of place. “U” also represents “us” and the ways in which we are committed to equity, inclusion, belonging, and a change for better outcomes for our students.
Guiding Questions
- Who are my learners, and how do they learn best?
- Who am I, and how do my beliefs, values, and biases impact the teaching and learning environment?
- Who is the university, and how do my instructional practices align with the mission and vision of the university?
Module 2: Connection
Connection
A sense of belonging through strong relationships that promote acceptance, support, and empathy in their learning environment.
Guiding Questions
- What does it mean to design for belonging?
- How can paying attention to belonging help us as we design new experiences and ways of learning together?
Module 3: Agency
Agency
Agency through their capacity and habit to form and act on intentions.
Guiding Questions
- What learning conditions have we created that either inhibit or promote student success?
- What kind of relationships increase engagement and ownership of learning for students – especially those who have not been successful in schools and/or have a history of negative experiences?
- What does it mean to build a Learning Partnership between teachers & students? How can we get started in building that partnership?
Module 4: Mastery
Mastery
Mastery through engagement with rigorous content, demonstration of its understanding, and critical reflection on new material.
Guiding Questions
- In what ways can Universal Design for Learning (UDL) impact the postsecondary classroom?
- How can UDL be applied to the postsecondary classroom to help students demonstrate their mastery of learning goals?
- What are some potential barriers to consider in order to fully implement UDL?
Module 5: Purpose
Purpose
Purpose through understanding of personal values and their relationship to learning and long-term goals.
Guiding Questions
- How can I ensure my diverse learners transfer knowledge and skills to the real world?
- How can I identify and remove barriers to experiential learning experiences for students?
